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Elladan and Elrohir
Elladan and Elrohir were the twin sons of Elrond the Half-elven and Celebrían of Rivendell, and were noted for their close friendship and cooperation with the Dúnedain of the North, Rangers of the North and Men in general, and for their deeds during the War of the Ring. Biography Third Age Elladan and Elrohir were born in TA 130,The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B: The Tale of Years (Chronology of the Westlands), "The Third Age" and had a younger sister, Arwen. Through their mother Celebrían, they were the only grandsons of Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn of Lothlórien. In TA 2509, the brothers rescued their mother from her imprisonment with the Orcs. Although she was physically healed by Elrond, after fear and torment from the Orcs she lost all joy from Middle-earth, and so she departed for the Grey Havens the next year. Due to this, the twins harbored great hatred for Orcs.The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers, I: The Númenórean Kings, (iii): "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur" By the year TA 2933, Elladan and Elrohir went riding against Orcs with Arathorn II, the father of Aragorn. There Arathorn was slain and his wife and son went to dwell in Imladris, where Elrond received Aragorn as his foster-son, naming him Estel.The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers, I: The Númenórean Kings, (v): "The tale of Aragorn and Arwen" War of the Ring When the Fellowship arrived in Rivendell, the twins' role was to scout the lands and prepare the way for the Fellowship.The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book Two, Ch. I: "Many Meetings" Later, they traveled along with Halbarad and the Grey Company. They delivered a message from their father concerning the Paths of the Dead and followed Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli there. Elladan traveled behind the company, the Dead following after him.The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, Book Five, Ch. II: "The Passing of the Grey Company" They battled in the Fields of Pelennor "with stars bound to their brows."The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, Book Five, Ch. VI: "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields" During the last council, Elladan and Elrohir seconded Mithrandir's decision to throw the remaining troops of Gondor and Rohan at the Morannon, saying that Elrond had sent them with that same counsel from Rivendell.The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, Book Five, Ch. IX: "The Last Debate" Elladan and Elrohir also accompanied Aragorn and fought alongside him at the Black Gate. After the War After the war, Elladan and Elrohir met the escort of Arwen in Lothlorien, and together, they traveled to Edoras.The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B: The Tale of Years (Chronology of the Westlands), "The Chief Days from the Fall of Power Door to the End of the Third Age" The brothers arrived first and carried a banner of silver. They were followed by Glorfindel and Erestor.The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, Book Six, Ch. V: "The Steward and the King" Fourth Age and beyond When their father departed to the West, the brothers stayed in Rivendell for a while. In time, their grandfather Celeborn came to live with them before passing into the Grey Havens.The Lord of the Rings, Prologue, V: "Note on the Shire Records" It is unknown whether Elladan and Elrohir chose to remain in Middle-earth as mortal men or depart with the last of their kindred to Valinor. Etymology The name Elladan is Sindarin for "Elf-Man" or "Elf-Dúnadan," referring to his dual descent from both Elves and Edain (a name given to those descending from the three houses of Men from Beleriand).The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 211 (dated 14 October 1958) It comes from the words el ("elf or star") and adan, singular of Edain.Parma Eldalamberon, Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien On the other hand, Elrohir means "Elf-knight", but rochir also means "horse-lord".The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 211 (dated 14 October 1958) Character Though Tolkien never specifically states that Elrohir and Elladan were twins, it is suspected that they were for four reasons: first, they are described as "So much alike were they, the sons of Elrond, that few could tell them apart: dark-haired, grey-eyed, and their faces elven-fair, clad alike in bright mail beneath cloaks of silver-grey" (Tolkien 761).The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, Book Five, Chapter II: "The Passing of the Grey Company" Secondly, one is rarely mentioned without the other, and their names are only separated when they are speaking. Thirdly, they were both born in the same year,The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B: The Tale of Years (Chronology of the Westlands), "The Third Age" and elven pregnancies last a full year.Elves' gestation periods are roughly a yearlong, so it would be hard to bring two sons into the world in the same year if they were not twins. Fourthly, the birth of twins was not a rare occurrence in their family history (Amrod and Amras, Eluréd and Elurín, Elrond and Elros). The brethren were friends and companions-in-arms of the Rangers of the North, and helped defend the remnants of Arnor from evil after the fall of the northern kingdom. They held a special grudge against orcs because of their mother's suffering at their hands. Like their sister, father, and uncle, they could make a choice between mortality and immortality, expressed by whether they would follow their father to Valinor at the time of his own departure at the end of the Third Age. Since they are explicitly described as remaining in Rivendell for a time after their father's departure, some fans speculated that they had also chosen mortality. However, J.R.R. Tolkien himself noted that the twins were allowed to "delay" their choices.The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 152 (dated September 1954) Earlier versions of the legendarium In early writings, Elladan and Elrohir were named Elboron and Elbereth. These were the same early names for the twins Eluréd and Elurín, who were the uncles of Elrond.The History of Middle-earth, Vol. VIII: The War of the Ring, Part Three: Minas Tirith, chapter IV: "Many Roads Lead Eastward" They also had a younger sister named Finduilas. Portrayal in adaptations Fan work Elladan and Elrohir are characters in the fan-made film Born of Hope, and were played by the twin brother actors Sam Kennard and Matt Kennard. Video games They also appeared in The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, seen in the first level at Fornost by the three main characters of the game: Eradan, Farin and Andriel. They leave behind them many dead orcs and goblins. When Elladan and Elrohir meet the three heroes later, just after the heroes have finished fighting a troll, they decide to work together to reach Fornost's citadel. When they arrive at the citadel, Elrohir and Elladan go after the leader of the dark forces here in Fornost, also the main villain of the game: Agandaûr. They are seen dueling him atop the citadel. Their duel with him is finished after Eradan, Andriel and Farin arrive - after killing some of Agandaûr's orcs and his chieftain Tharzog - forcing Agandaûr to retreat on a fell beast. The Great Eagle Beleram goes after Agandaûr, who loses the Eagle by creating a storm with his dark sorcery. With their job done in Fornost, Elladan and Elrohir returned to Rivendell, while the other three went back to Sarn Ford, and Beleram went back to report to Gwaihir the Eagle-lord. The two are seen again in Rivendell as characters that can be spoken to. Translations References Category:Sindarin words Category:Half-elven Category:Elves of Rivendell Category:The Lord of the Rings Characters Category:Characters in Born of Hope Category:Characters in The History of Middle-earth it:Elladan e Elrohir nl:Elladan en Elrohir pl:Elladan i Elrohir ru:Элладан и Элрохир